Chapter 28

Messiah woke up at Javier's place feeling like shit. His head was pounding and his whole body hurt, but he still tried getting up for practice.

"Where you think you going?" Javier caught him before he could stand.

"I got practice."

"You got a fever is what you got. Lay back down."

"I'm good-" but a cough cut him off.

"Yeah you sound real good." Javier pushed him back on the bed. "You not going nowhere."

"Man I can't miss practice-"

"Messiah." Javier's voice got firm. "Lay down before I make you."

Too tired to fight, Messiah actually listened. He curled up under the blanket while Javier went to get medicine.

"Here." Javier came back with some pills and water. "Take these."

"I don't need-"

"You really wanna test me right now?"

Messiah took the medicine, letting Javier fix his bonnet where it had slipped while he was tossing and turning.

"I gotta cancel my clients today," Javier said, already texting Jordan.

"You don't gotta stay."

"Shut up and go to sleep."

Throughout the day Javier kept checking his temperature, making him drink water, forcing soup into him even when Messiah tried to argue.

"Stop being difficult and eat," Javier said when Messiah turned his head away from the spoon.

"I ain't hungry."

"Didn't ask if you was hungry. Open."

By evening Messiah's fever was worse. He was shivering even under two blankets, fighting sleep cause the medicine made him feel weird.

"Come here." Javier pulled him close, letting Messiah press his hot face against his neck.

"You gonna get sick."

"I'll be fine. Stop talking and rest."

For once Messiah actually listened, too tired to keep his walls up. He let Javier hold him, play with his hair, take care of him in a way nobody had in years.

His phone kept buzzing with texts from Dom and his teammates but Javier handled it, letting them know he was sick and resting.

"Coach gonna be mad," Messiah mumbled half asleep.

"Coach'll understand. Now stop worrying and sleep."

Later that night when his fever finally broke, Messiah was knocked out on Javier's chest while Javier stayed up watching him breathe.

"You really scared to let anybody take care of you huh?" Javier said quiet, knowing Messiah was too deep asleep to hear. But he felt how even sick, Messiah held onto him like he was finally learning to trust somebody again.